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| - Despite the traditional meaning of the word "gay," homosexual characters tend to be a miserable lot, and not by simple coincidence - their misery can be attributed largely to their sexuality or, more accurately, other people's attitudes towards it. In short, they don't just have angst, they have gayngst. Gayngst is often found in the Boys Love and Girls Love works for obvious reasons. Examples of Gayngst include:
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| abstract
| - Despite the traditional meaning of the word "gay," homosexual characters tend to be a miserable lot, and not by simple coincidence - their misery can be attributed largely to their sexuality or, more accurately, other people's attitudes towards it. In short, they don't just have angst, they have gayngst. Characters suffering from Gayngst are prone to alcoholism and other forms of substance abuse, self-loathing, rampant homophobia towards themselves and others, falling in tragic unrequited love with heterosexuals, contemplating (and often committing) suicide, and wishing that they were straight. Gayngst is a Pet Peeve Trope of many due to the fact that while it usually portrays gay people sympathetically and addresses an issue many gay people in Real Life go through, it can be interpreted as saying that it's impossible to be gay without being miserable, or that gay people don't deserve Happy Endings, or at its very worst and most ineptly-handled, homosexual relationships are innately disastrous. However, Gayngst is still unfortunately common in real life. After all, True Art Is Angsty transcends sexual orientation. If the story wants an uplifting tone, the character will eventually come to terms with their sexuality, have the obligatory Coming Out Story, and either live Happily Ever After with their love interest, or morph into some other gay archetype (usually Straight Gay or Lipstick Lesbian; either this is their natural personality or they still have some lingering insecurity). Gayngst is often found in the Boys Love and Girls Love works for obvious reasons. Not to be confused with the Gayngster, although some Gayngsters probably have their share of Gayngst. Clumsy examples of Gayngst often dive headfirst into Wangst territory. Sister Trope of Bury Your Gays, which it frequently overlaps with. Depending on how it's played, it can be a Sub-Trope of Boomerang Bigot and/or Super-Trope of Incompatible Orientation. Note that this doesn't come up quite as often in works with a Cast Full of Gay. Opposite of Queer People Are Funny Examples of Gayngst include:
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